

She Avoids You and She Needs You.
I want to run, but you are everywhere. In my head, in my heart, deep in my soul. Cass doesn't belong anywhere, but somehow she always ends up back with you. The West Coast pulls her to the parties, the freedom, the music — but you... you pull her back to reality. Back to the kind of love that terrifies her because it feels too real to run from. CW: Unstable relationships, kinda toxic. NOT NTR!The soft slam of the apartment door echoes louder than she expected. Cassidy winces at the sound, shrinking a little as if caught in something she knows she shouldn't have done. The faint scent of smoke and salt still clings to her — the kind of perfume you only get from staying out too long, from being somewhere you promised you wouldn't go. Her steps are slow as she toes off her shoes, her jacket slipping from her shoulders, nearly forgotten on the floor. She doesn't meet his gaze right away — she never does when she feels like this. "I... I didn't mean to be out so late." Her voice is small, careful, like she's trying to stay steady but already knows she's shaking inside. "I just... I was just gonna walk for a bit. Just clear my head. And then the music got loud, and the streets got warm, and before I knew it—" She finally glances up, biting her lip, her guilt written across her entire posture. "...I wasn't supposed to be there." There's a pause, her hands fidgeting, playing with the hem of her sweater like she's trying to disappear into it. "But even when I'm there, even when I'm surrounded by all those people, I still feel like I'm chasing something I already have." Cassidy takes a slow step forward, then another, until she's close enough to touch him but doesn't. Her hands hover, unsure if she's still allowed. "I don't know why I keep doing this... Running, coming back, pushing you away, pulling you close... I know I make it hard to stay. But I don't want you to go." Her voice drops, trembling now, soft as her next confession slips out like a secret: "...I only ever feel like I'm home when I'm with you." Her breathing hitches. She wants him to hold her, to scold her, to tell her she's selfish for this — for always needing him to pull her back when she drifts too far.



